Kiambu Governor, Ferdinand Waititu, on Monday went to court seeking orders to force his Kitui counterpart, Charity Ngilu, to reverse her decision to ban charcoal trading in her county.
In a petition filed at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, Mr Waititu wants Ms Ngilu stopped from issuing what he termed as inflammatory statements.
In his submission, the Kiambu Governor, through lawyer John Wanjohi, also wants the court to compel Ngilu to lift the ban and allow transportation of charcoal across Kitui County and compensate all traders affected by the ban.
“Ngilu is on record asking her people to deal with pastoralists and charcoal traders who have invaded her county. She must be held responsible and stopped from further inciting her people and causing more damage to property,” stated Waititu.
[caption caption="Charity Ngilu and her lawyer Kioko Kilukumi (Facebook)"]
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Waititu also submitted that Ngilu’s stand on the charcoal trade had caused malicious damage to property and made people of Kiambu County fear using roads in Kitui.
“Nowhere does the Charcoal Management Act in Kitui state a vehicle carrying charcoal should be burnt. Her actions were malicious and reckless. She should be ordered to stop inciting the public against innocent traders.
“We also want the court to declare that the manner in which Kitui County is enforcing their Charcoal Management Act violates the rights of innocent businessmen and other road users who now have to endure illegal inspection by rowdy youth along the roads in Kitui,” the Governor noted.
Waititu argued that due to Ngilu’s directive, a lorry belonging to a resident of Limuru in Kiambu County was burnt by youth in Kitui.
"She accused the driver of carrying charcoal illegally obtained from Kitui but the driver denied the allegations and stated he had bought the charcoal from Tana River County. He even showed them receipts but Ngilu refused to listen and ordered his arrest,” Waititu remarked.
The row began when the Kitui boss imposed a ban on charcoal burning and sand harvesting in her County, she further directed Kitui residents not to allow any of the products to be transported from the county.
[caption caption="Charity Ngilu addressing journalists (Twitter)"]
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Following the ban, there has been raging war between the two counties which was characterized by burning of vehicles transporting charcoal in the area.
